MCAL baseball power rankings

Things have certainly changed since the last power rankings. Here’s the latest on MCAL baseball. As always, feedback and comments are appreciated.
1. Marin Catholic (16-5, 13-3) – The Wildcats have hit a bit of a slide, losing three in a row until a 7-0 win over San Rafael. John Tewhill is hurt. Rob Woodcock is yet to take the mound. MC could be in trouble, but for now they get the slight edge over Drake, Being defending league champions and having been in first place all season will do that for you.

2. Drake (17-5, 12-4) – The Pirates may be the hottest team in the MCAL right now and are currently alone in second place thanks to six straight wins, including three 2-1 victories in a row over Justin-Siena, MC and San Marin. Looks like that pitching has come around.

3. Redwood (13-9, 12-5) – The Giants are just 5-7 in their last 12 games, and suffered through a five-game losing streak over that span. They showed they can grind out a win in an 11-inning win over San Marin on Tuesday, though. A first-round bye in the playoffs would really help Redwood out, since the Giants have been capable of losing to or beating just about anyone.

4. Justin-Siena (15-8, 11-6) – The Braves are hard to gauge. They’ve beaten MC, Redwood, Novato and Drake, but have lost to both Branson and Terra Linda, the MCAL’s two worst teams. Still, Justin has won 10 of its last 12 and could be dangerous in the postseason.

5. Novato (14-8, 10-6) – The Hornets’ five game winning streak was halted by Justin in a 7-2 contest on Tuesday. Novato better hope its bats aren’t going cold like earlier in the season when the Hornets managed just three runs during a four-game losing streak. Their makeup game with Branson this week could be a chance for a get-well game before the playoffs.

6. Tam (10-10, 7-8) – Because of the H1N1 flu thingy at Tam, the Hawks will have to make up two games on Friday and Saturday, meaning they’ll play Thursday at home against San Rafael, Friday at MC and Saturday at home against Drake. I like them to win one of those games, which is what they have to do to claim at least a share of the sixth and final playoff spot. Two wins clinches sole possession of that spot. Even if they get there, will the Hawks be spent from the grueling weekend schedule? All I can say is, there better not be a play-in game. An interesting fact: Tam has been outscored 103-95 on the season.

7. San Marin (9-11, 7-9) – The Mustangs have dug themselves a hole with five losses in their last six games. Still, they have a great shot at forcing a play-in game with the Hawks. All they need to do is beat TL and hope that MC and Drake handle business against Tam. If San Rafael can pull off a win against the Hawks, San Rafael could even claim sole possession of the sixth spot.

8. San Rafael (11-12, 6-11) – The Bulldogs need a miracle to make their slim playoff hopes a reality. They need to beat Tam and hope that the Mustangs and Hawks lose out. Then, they would need to win a tiebreaker over one of those schools (I’m not sure how they would do that in this situation. As of right now all three teams have one win above the tie.)

9. Branson (7-15, 3-13) – After an abysmal start, the Bulls have actually put together a respectable season, with a pair of wins over TL and a huge upset of Justin. Going into the season, I thought Branson wouldn’t win a league game, so props to the Bulls for proving me wrong.

10. Terra Linda (2-20, 1-16) – The season can’t end soon enough for the Trojans, who have been outscored 221-88 on the year. The Trojans did get an 8-7 win at Justin on April 28, though. I knew they’d get a win eventually. TL could really end its season on a positive note with a win over San Marin on Thursday.